Member, Photographic Society of America
Winner of the 2008, 2011, and 2012 PSA Henricks Award for best newsletter!
Tanya Riseman and Sherm Edwards, Editors, Cable Release, at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
Contents
- 1 KEY EVENTS
- 2 MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
- 2.1 MEETING LOCATION
- 2.2 SPEAKER NIGHT — Laura Zimmerman — Altering Reality: Photo Techniques for your Creative Toolbox
- 2.3 COMPETITION COLUMN
- 2.4 JUDGE JOEL HOFFMAN – FOUND ABSTRACT
- 2.5 PHOTO FORUM
- 2.6 FEBRUARY FIELD TRIP — Library of Congress – Jefferson Building
- 2.7 RSVP NOW FOR MAY FIELD TRIP – Birds of Prey
- 2.8 Note: The date has been changed to May 17th. Gerry will contact you if you have already signed up.
- 2.9 SPRING FIELD TRIPS – Plan Ahead
- 3 CLUB NEWS
- 4 FEATURES
- 5 CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
- 6 MEMBER ARTICLES
- 7 COMPETITION RESULTS
- 8 COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
KEY EVENTS
The following scheduled events will be conducted online as Zoom teleconferences, except for the Competition and Field Trip. Look for announcements and invitations by e-mail, Meetup, and on the club’s Website.
- February 6 – Speaker Night: Laura Zimmerman (7:30 on Zoom)
- February 8 – Field Trip: Library of Congress (10 a.m.)
- February 13 – Competition: Found Abstract (7:30 p.m. at Northwood Presbyterian Church)
- February 20 – Photo Forum (7:30 on Zoom)
- February 27 – Board Meeting (7:30 on Zoom)
2024-2025 Calendar
See here for this season’s calendar, which will be updated as information becomes available. It includes Speaker Night, Competition Night, Photo Forum, Board Meetings, and Field Trips.
If Montgomery County Schools close due to inclement weather, Silver Spring Camera Club meetings and outings will be canceled. See montgomeryschoolsmd.org for closure information during the work week. For Mon-Fri AFTER 5:00 pm & on the weekends, call 240-777-2710 or 311 from within Montgomery County. Sign up for text alerts: AlertMontgomery and choose both a local MCPS school and ‘Community Use of Public Facilities Alerts’. Note that this policy does not apply to online meetings!
For general information about the club, contact us at: info@ssccphotography.org
A list of the club officers and committee chairs, and their emails, is located here:
Officers and Committee Chairs
More information is available in the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC) Member Handbook: SSCC-Member-Handbook-2024-2025.
PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR THE NEXT CABLE RELEASE:
If you’d like to share an article, announcement, or Letter to the Editor about anything photographic please email them by February 24. Email items or questions to Sherm Edwards and Tanya Riseman at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
DEADLINE: BY February 24th TO cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS
MEETING LOCATION
For the 2024-2025 club year, the second Thursday meeting of each month will be in person, at Northwood Presbyterian Church (https://www.northwoodchurch.com/). The address is 1200 University Blvd., West, Silver Spring, Other meetings will be on Zoom. The in-person meeting will be Competition Night if the judge agrees, otherwise it will be Photo Forum and Competition Night will move to the third Thursday on Zoom.
SPEAKER NIGHT — Laura Zimmerman — Altering Reality: Photo Techniques for your Creative Toolbox
Thursday,February 6, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
After retiring from portrait photography in 2020, Laura has been exploring a variety of photographic techniques, including Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), Multiple Exposure, and Multiple Exposure with ICM. Her work has been featured in ICM Photography Magazine and has been shown in various galleries at home and abroad. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, along the shores of Lake Sammamish.
COMPETITION COLUMN
Our February topic is Found Abstract::
A found abstract is a photograph of shapes, colors, and textures discovered intact in the environment. The photographer can create a close-up of one portion of a scene or object, to isolate it from the whole and thus eliminate explanatory context, but in this competition, it is okay if the object can be identified. The photographer may use minor post processing techniques to emphasize attributes and create moods, but another person should be able to return to the original site/scene and identify the same image that you “found” and captured in your picture. In-studio constructions or manipulations do not qualify.al skill. The judge need not assign any specific weight to any single attribute of the image.
Projected Portion of Competition
Members may submit up to two images meeting this definition for the Projected competition. Look here for details on Projected submissions. Projected images should be emailed to: competition@ssccphotography.org by midnight (11:59 p.m.) on the day of the month’s Speaker Night.
Remember:
- Send projected image submissions to competition@ssccphotography.org
- Format: JPEG, 1000 KB (max)
- File Name: Level~Maker’s Name~Image Title.jpg Example: Advanced~Tom Jones~Washington Landscape.jpg . The tilde “~” character separates the 3 subfields of the file name
- Level: Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced (see below); capitalization not required.
- Maker’s Name: spaces allowed. Please use the same name throughout the year to aid record keeping.
Print Portion of Competition
Members may also submit up to two images meeting the definition for the Print competition. Look here (Section IV) for details on submissions. A label template for Print submissions may be found here.
One important detail – In order to participate in either competition, you must pay the club’s annual dues before the start of the competition.
As you may have heard, the Club has changed the competition levels starting in September 2024. The new levels are Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. To see a list of all 2023-2024 Club members with their tentative competition level assignments, separately for Projected and Print, click here. For details on what this change means for you, click here.
Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year:
- March – Open
- April – Abandoned
- May – Monochrome
- June – End of Year Competition (special rules apply)
JUDGE JOEL HOFFMAN – FOUND ABSTRACT
Thursday, February 13, 2025, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Joel Hoffman has had a dual vocation for the past 35 years. He is an attorney concentrating his practice in the area of business law construction litigation. At the same time he has had an active event photography business photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, baptisms and other family and corporate events. He has been a Canon shooter for his entire career. Because of his Construction litigation experiences he has had the opportunity to photograph architectural interiors and exteriors for many architectural and engineering firms. He has photographed fashion catalogues and has worked on numerous projects with a variety of graphic designers, both locally and in New York.
Mr. Hoffman is a past president of the North Bethesda Camera Club and he has been an active member of the Club for more than 30 years. He is a Maryland Photographic Alliance certified judge and has judged many local camera clubs and others around the United States.
He has been teaching photography to developmentally challenged individuals for many ears and regularly teaches courses on portraiture and on the equipment used to create beautiful artificial light.
After completing a 10 year project shooting every architectural structure on the famous 6.5 mile road known as Sixteenth Street in the District of Columbia, he is now working on two projects, photographing all of the fire stations in the District of Columbia and all the Courthouses in the 24 counties of the State of Maryland.
Some of his work can be viewed on his website at www.joelhoffmanphotography.com
PHOTO FORUM
Thursday, February 20, 2024, from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
February’s planned discussions and presentations:
- Do you have trips planned for 2025? What camera will you take?
- “Preparing Your Image for Printing” – Frank Gallagher
- “The Amazing Sony RX100 VII Compact Camera” – Steven Stewart & Dennis Freeman
- We are soliciting presenters. Contact Dennis ( dennisfreeman4510@msn.com ) if you’d like to present something!
You may send up to 2 images you would like get feedback on or just share. This month’s theme will be “Open.”
FEBRUARY FIELD TRIP — Library of Congress – Jefferson Building
Leader: Gerry Woods, 202-494-2131
When: Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10 AM.
Where: 10 First Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20540.
Meet Up: Meet at the Main Visitor Entrance on 1st Street, S.E. The entrance is on the ground floor in the covered driveway area which is beneath the grand exterior staircase.
Tickets: Free timed-entry tickets are required to enter the LOC building complex. I already have ten tickets. Contact gerrywoodsdc@gmail.com if you would like to use one of these tickets.
Photography = Architecture: We will photograph the “Great Hall,” the “Mosaic of Minerva,” the “Gutenberg Bible” and more. We will also take photos of the Main Reading Room from the Main Reading Room Overlook. Lastly, we will take photos of the building exterior with its statuary and fountains.
Directions: The US Capitol Building is directly across the street and the Supreme Court building is two blocks away. Transportation & Parking: The closest Metro Stop is Capitol South Station, which is two blocks south of the LOC. There is limited on-the-street parking.
Lunch: After our tour, the group we will go the “Hawk & Dove” restaurant located at 329 Penn. Ave, S.E. Washington, DC. 20003.
Equipment: Bring a fast, wide-angle lens suitable for indoor photography. Bring your “tilt-shift” lens if you have one. Sorry, tripods, monopods and flash are not permitted.
Background: The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library. The Thomas Jefferson Building opened to the public in 1897. It also houses President Thomas Jefferson’s personal library which is on display. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Washington, D.C. We will also see the “Two Georges Exhibit” presented by Britain’s Royal Archives and the U.S.Library of Congress which features King George III of England and George Washington.
Visit this link for more information on the Thomas Jefferson Building:
https://www.loc.gov/static/portals/visit/documents/brochure-2022.pdf
RSVP: RSVP to gerrywoodsdc@gmail.com if you plan to attend this event.
Share your images from the trip: With the SSCC Facebook Group, on Meetup, and/or send to cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org for inclusion in the next month’s Cable Release.
RSVP NOW FOR MAY FIELD TRIP – Birds of Prey
Gerry Woods is organizing a “Birds of Prey” photo opportunity on Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 1-3 PM.
Note: The date has been changed to May 17th. Gerry will contact you if you have already signed up.
RSVP to gerrywoodsdc@gmail.com if you plan to attend this event. Please provide both your email address and cell phone number if you wish to receive text messages regarding any last minute updates. Tickets are $30 per person. Please make your check out to “Silver Spring Camera Club” and write “Birds of Prey” in the memo line. We will need to receive your payment by April 26, 2025. Checks can be mailed to
SSCC Treasurer, Bruce Schaefer
P.O. Box 2375
Silver Spring, MD 20915.
We will meet at: 1212 North Poes Road, Flint Hill, VA. 22627.
We will photograph close-ups, one at a time, of the birds of prey (condor, falcon, hawk, owl and vulture); then, we will photograph the birds in flight one at a time.
Please contact Gerry Woods if you need transportation, and we will attempt to arrange a carpool.
Earth Quest (https://www.earthquest.org/) is doing this event. Click below to see some sample “Birds of Prey” photos that I took on my Flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcgerry/albums/72177720323207334
Let me know if you have any questions,
Gerry Woods
202-494-2131
SPRING FIELD TRIPS – Plan Ahead
- Feb 8 – Library of Congress – Jefferson Building. See announcement above about passes.
- Mar 15 – Netherlands Carillon – Near Iwo Jima
- Mar 22 – Abandoned, location TBD
- Apr 5 – Dunbarton Oaks – Georgetown
- Apr 22 – Huntley Meadows Park
- May 17 – Birds of Prey. Must RSVP – see announcement above. (change of date)
- May 22 – Fort McHenry
- Jun 7 – US Botanic Garden Conservatory
- Jul 12 – Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
- Jul TBD – Burnside Farms Sunflowers
CLUB NEWS
MPA NEWS YOU CAN USE
MPA offers several exciting events in February.
- On February 11, Mollie Isaacs will speak about finding abstract subjects, plus how to create beautiful images from ordinary things you see every day.
- Images from the MPA 2024 Contest are available online.
- Choose a podcast to hear as you go about your daily life.
- MPA offers a discount to a variety of workshops from Maryland all the way to Africa.
MPA offers excellent opportunities for expanding your knowledge and appreciation of photography. On several of these pages you can also donate to Flashes of Hope or the MD Food Bank. We hope you will take advantage of the programs, webinars, podcasts, and Maryland Masters Series.
Lisa Auerbach
MPA Representative
JANUARY FIELD TRIP TO ELLIS ISLAND
Eight Club members traveled to New York City the weekend of January 25-26, with the primary goal of touring Ellis Island. The weather was relatively mild, and all attendees survived their struggles with the reservation system. Three of us did the 3-hour Photography Tour of the old hospital buildings, providing many opportunities to capture “Abandoned” images. The others took the 1.5-hour Hard Hat Tour and had more time to explore the museum. Trip organizers Lisa and Sherm arranged group dinners on Saturday and Sunday.
From Lisa Auerbach: We had a grand time in NYC. Ellis Island reminded me that we are a nation with a history that needs to be remembered and honored. Dinner conversations were lively and being in a group helped navigation of the city. Thanks to Scott and Miriam, I finally understand the subway system. I look forward to more trips and good fun.
ADDITIONAL NEWSLETTER EDITOR WANTED
Consider being a Cable Release editor. Contact Tanya or Sherm at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org.
* Collecting projected and print images and captions and putting them in photo galleries. These galleries appear in both the newsletter and on the club’s web homepage.
* Lightly editing items provided by others, like club event announcements and articles.
* Summarizing some items.
* Some writing for items that editors add themselves.
CLUB POSITIONS AVAILABLE – JOIN THE FUN
Please email membership at membership@ssccphotography.org.
BOARD MEETING
The SSCC Board last meet on January 23, 2025. The next meeting is February 27th via Zoom. Minutes from all meetings can be found in the board meeting minutes archives when they have been finalized.
FEATURES
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Price Increase
Adobe starting increasing their prices for the Lightroom/Photoshop bundle (“Creative Cloud Photography”) in January. This is justified for the expense of developing masking and all the cool AI features that they have introduced over the past few years. Plus it has been forever since there has been a price increase. Their Q&A is
https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/faq/ccpp-20gb.html
- Assuming that you have the current $9.99/month bundle with 20GB of storage, with an annual commitment
- The price will increase from $9.99/month to $14.99/month.
- Current subscribers are grandfathered in and can renew at a cost of $120/year up front. No net increase in price!
- They will send you an email 30 days before the renewal date to remind you of this deal and will include instructions. So you don’t miss it and think it is junk mail, put the renewal date on your calendar NOW.
- Until the end of your current year commitment, you still enjoy $9.99/month.
- Note: Unfortunately the Creative Cloud Photography (20GB) plan is no longer available for new subscriptions, as of January 15, 2025. You can’t downgrade from the 1TB plan ($19.99/month, per year commitment).
- I bet you don’t know your renewal date!
- Open the “Creative Cloud” app on your laptop or desktop. The icon looks like a cross between a fluffy cloud and a sideways figure 8.
- Click on “Manage Account” in the upper right corner, under your name.
- Select the Manage Plan button (left side).
- (Or go to https://account.adobe.com/ to view or manage your membership details.)
- This opens a window. Look down the list for “Subscribed since Month Day, 20XX”
- Now put something on your calendar for that Day and Month in 2025.
CONFERENCES AND EXPOS
MEMBER ARTICLES
Winter Snow by Ilona Linnoila
I was so exited we finally got some that I wanted to send four pics. – Ilona
COMPETITION RESULTS
OPEN COMPETITION – January 9, 2024
January’s competition was Open for projected and print images. Mark Nelson was our judge.
Awards are generally given for first, second, and third place, with the number of honorable mentions (HM) dependent on the total number of entries in the respective Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice levels.
ADVANCED PROJECTED
1st Place: Beth Koller ~ In Deep
2nd Place: Bob Catlett ~ Fall colors
3rd Place: Karen Finkelman ~ Paws-itively Painful
HM: Karen Finkelman ~ Sitting Pretty
HM: Kent Mason ~ Super Fast
Beth Koller ~ In Deep
In Deep: After attending the PSA Festival in Tuscon, I met up with my cousin and her husband. We explored some sites in the Phoenix area. This image was taken in the Sedona area. As they were cooling their heels in the river, I was taking pictures. There was a little dam like structure formed by small stones. The colors and patterns looked interesting. So I shot wider before zooming in. I was surprised that I liked the wide images best. Although I loved the gold color from the river bank trees (likely Fremont cottonwoods, I did not fully appreciate the swirly reflected shapes in the water that were made made by those trees--until I saw the image on a larger screen. The shapes of the submerged rocks suggested something ghostly or ethereal. There was little to do--except some cropping. I thought about a name involving a skull shape, but decided that the viewer should not be boxed in to that perception. I thought that this image could do well, but could also be a risky entry. I now know that this is a contender for the upcoming Joe Miller Abstract Competition which is still taking entries
INTERMEDIATE PROJECTED
1st Place: Ilona Linnoila ~ Cowboy Capturing a Calf
2nd Place: Bruce Schaefer ~ Gold ball of wisdom
3rd Place: Ilona Linnoila ~ Shaking the Catch
HM Place: Tanya Riseman ~ Big Bokeh
Ilona Linnoila ~ Cowboy Capturing a Calf
NOVICE PROJECTED
1st Place: Jim Riley ~ Chestnut Season
2nd Place: Kent Morris ~ Morning Sun on Buddha
3rd Place: Maurice Belanger ~ The Flag Was Still There
Jim Riley ~ Chestnut Season
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED PRINTS (COMBINED)
1st Place: Will Rabinovich ~ Spring is Coming
2nd Place: Kate Woodward ~ Boston Buildings
Will Rabinovich ~ Spring is Coming
NOVICE PRINTS
1st Place: Valerie Brissett ~ Antelope Canyon
2nd Place: Ilona Linnoila ~ Enjoying a Peanut
COURSES, CALLS FOR ENTRY, AND EXHIBITS
PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
by Karen Finkelman
The following list describes various photography classes and workshops in the Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington DC area. Specific workshop offerings may be held in the classroom, in-field, online or via Zoom. Please see individual classes for the instruction format.
The list is organized into three categories:
- Classes and Workshops in the Washington DC area
- Online Courses
- Multi-Day Photography Workshops Within & Beyond the DMV
Please feel free to recommend any classes or workshops you have taken. Email the Cable Release Editors at cablereleaseeditor@ssccphotography.org and we will forward the recommendations.
Note: Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement of the provider or a particular course/workshop.
CALLS FOR ENTRY
by Dennis Freeman
The following offers a number of competitions for your consideration this month. Some of these sources have standing calls for entry, and others are one-time calls. Some offer cash and prizes, and others don’t.
See the full Calls for Entry article here.
EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
By Karen Finkelman.
Take a look at what our sister camera club, the NIH Camera Club, has going on. Here is a link to their site. There you can find their newsletter, the Cameraderie: nihcameraclub.com
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